Five years in to the wine blogging revolution and five days out from the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference, it's time to assess the things I now know and think about wine blogging and wine bloggers. 1. Given the number of...

I am committed to the notion that, beyond a point, government and the society it represents does more harm than good in trying to overcome the seeming innate stupidity that always infects a certain portion of the community. It appears...

Washington State finds itself in the midst of a campaign for reform that is extraordinarily rare. Initiative 1000 is a ballot initiative that would wholly transform the alcohol distribution system in that state to make it more open, more reliant...

I've always been a fan of that strange, under-appreciated sub-genre of Science Fiction known as Alternative History. "What if the South won the Civil War" or "What if America didn't enter WWII and Germany won WWII" are the two most...

It appears that wine wholesalers have jumped the shark where H.R. 5034 is concerned. It has been two months since America's alcohol wholesalers have attempted to radically change the rules of alcohol regulation with their introduction of H.R. 5034, the...

Over the past few years, one corner of the "Culture Wars" has been dedicated to the debate over the utility of religion and whether or not faith has been beneficial to mankind. Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens and Richard...

In July, I'll be heading up to McMinnville, Oregon to attend and cover the 24th Annual International Pinot Noir Celebration—arguably the granddaddy of the ever-increasing selection of varietal-inspired celebrations/conclaves for industry and enthusiasts. I'm excited to be invited to attend...

The beer and wine wholesalers supporting H.R. 5034, a bill now in the House of Representatives that, if passed, would pave the way for direct shipping rights to be taken away and give wholesalers free reign to push through any...

It is a fact that the greatest deterrent to consumer access to wines today are the 37 states that prohibit Retailer To Consumer shipping of wine. What's going unnoticed in the debate over H.R. 5034, the bill now in Congress,...

Is it possible to judge a wine without ever having laid foot in the region where it was produced? I've been wondering about this really fascinating question ever since reading this comment by MW Tim Atkin, made at the opening...

In designing a wine label it always rule #1 and sits atop The Guidelines: Don't Offend. The rule is there because no matter what else the wine is, it is a consumer product meant to be sold and marketed. It...

I've revisited "The World of Fine Wine" magazine of late and come away still believing that for the wine collector, the connoisseur, the Europhile, the wine investor or for those who crave forceful opinion about wine and the wine world...

The finalists in the 2010 American Wine Blog Awards were announced today and they include a variety of nominees who are new to the finalist round. Having been involved in these awards for quite some time and having watched the...